Every Independence day I can't help but to think about the time my family took me to New York City to watch the 4th of July fireworks exploding in the harbor above the Statue of Liberty. What a spectacular scene. Today marks an especially historic day for Lady Liberty, as her glorious crown reopens to tourists after being closed since September 11, 2001. CNN pays tribute to this historic event here.

Every time I think of the Statue of Liberty, I think about how the ultimate symbol of America is also the symbol of how our nation has always welcomed immigrants. The famous Emma Lazarus quote that is permanently inscribed at the statue reminds us of this:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

In the spirit of this quote, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a new release from the Immigration Policy Center. The IPC has compiled a new fact sheet on immigrant contributions to our economy and society, and a collection of  resources that tell the compelling story of America's immigrants. From the IPC:

Independence Day is a good time to take stock of the demographic diversity that has long been a principal strength of the U.S. economy and civil society. Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians play critical economic roles as workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. As a result, they will be crucial players in the nation’s efforts to recover from the current recession. Moreover, the immigrant, Latino, and Asian communities are key voting blocs that successful politicians cannot afford to ignore, particularly in close elections.

Download the complete PDF fact sheet here.

On a final note, I really enjoyed this inspiring video about an immigrant family celebrating their first 4th of July as citizens. Seeing their joy and gratitude reminds me never to take my own citizenship and rights for granted.

Since New York Senator Charles Schumer replaced ailing Edward Kennedy as the head of the Judiciary immigration subcommittee, he has been vocal about his ideas regarding comprehensive immigration reform.

Last Wednesday, at a speech at the Migration Policy Institute’s Sixth Annual Immigration Policy Conference, Schumer outlined seven principles that he believes could garner the Congressional support necessary to pass legislation. The principles, verbatim from his speech, are as follows:

1. Illegal immigration is wrong, and a primary goal of comprehensive immigration reform must be to dramatically curtail future illegal immigration.
 
2. Operational control of our borders--through significant additional increases in infrastructure, technology, and border personnel--must be achieved within a year of enactment of legislation.
 
3. A biometric-based employer verification system—with tough enforcement and auditing—is necessary to significantly diminish the job magnet that attracts illegal aliens to the United States and to provide certainty and simplicity for employers.
 
4. All illegal aliens present in the United States on the date of enactment of our bill must quickly register their presence with the United States Government—and submit to a rigorous process of converting to legal status and earning a path to citizenship—or face imminent deportation.
 
5. Family reunification is a cornerstone value of our immigration system.  By dramatically reducing illegal immigration, we can create more room for both family immigration and employment-based immigration.
 
6. We must encourage the world’s best and brightest individuals to come to the United States and create the new technologies and businesses that will employ countless American workers, but must discourage businesses from using our immigration laws as a means to obtain temporary and less-expensive foreign labor to replace capable American workers; and finally
 
7.  We must create a system that converts the current flow of unskilled illegal immigrants into the United States into a more manageable and controlled flow of legal immigrants who can be absorbed by our economy.
 

The Senator also said that legislation could be taken up later this year, but only if a crackdown on illegal immigration is given first priority. While I agree with some of Schumer’s principles, I have concerns about some of the wording, and the fact that they do not indicate just how the 12 million undocumented immigrants currentlyworking in America could obtain legal status.

Also important to note is that fact that the statements were made before the official White House meeting on immigration reform occured. After the White House meeting, Obama announced that Janet Napolitano woulld be leading a working group with members of both chambers to outline a bill, talk through the issue, and work out details. This being the case, it will be interesting to see how many of Schumer’s principles are reflected in the final legislation moving forward.

There's been a lot of commentary in the few days since Thursday's pivotal White House meeting to discuss reforming our nation's broken immigration system. Right before the meeting, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel made statements indicating a bleak outlook for the possibility of reform this year. But luckily the post-meeting outlook has been more positive. Following are some of the highlights from the last few days.

Today, this editorial appeared in the New York Times. It provides a very optimistic viewpoint, as indicated by the following key excerpts:

      "It led to a persuasive show of unity among Republicans and Democrats. Both sides made the case for getting a  comprehensive reform bill written and passed this year, or early next. Mr. Obama announced that the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, would lead a working group of both parties and houses of Congress to do that."

Participants were able to rally around some tough-sounding principles, outlined in a speech by Senator Charles Schumer of New York, who heads the immigration subcommittee:

     "The borders and workplace need tighter enforcement. Illegal immigrants must be required to register, learn English and pay taxes — or face deportation. But they should also be allowed to seek citizenship. The path back to a lawful system is through legalization and an improved, well-managed immigration flow."

America's Voice also provided detailed commentary on the issue, saying that the prospects of achieving immigration reform this year look better than ever.

And I particularly enjoyed reading Citizen Orange's analysis, which looks at the human side of the debate:

      "...migrant advocates are doing an excellent job of creating a sense of urgency and hope around migration reform which we need.  Migration reform needs to be tackled sooner rather than later.  We cannot wait another year, or two, or three, or four, while people are dying and families are being torn apart."

I agree, we can't keep waiting for reform. And the good news is that Congress pretty much agrees on the points outlined by Schumer, and the majority of Americans want to see reform too. What is tougher to reach a consensus on is how to manage the flow of future immigrants.The big fear seems to be that if extra visas are granted to meet the workforce demand, Americans will lose jobs. But history has shown that this really in not the case. Even now, in the midst of a recession and record-high unemployment,there are huge labor shortages in agriculture and other industries.

Hopefully, this point won't delay passage of comprehensive legisltation.

For more immigration highlights, click here.

I have to admit, I’ve been waiting for this day for a while now. Because today is when President Obama is meeting with key members of Congress to discuss immigration reform.

In light of my enthusiam, reading White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s following statement on the Immigration Prof blog made my heart sink a little:

Just hours before President Obama hosted lawmakers for a discussion on immigration at the White House, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel conceded that Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill do not have the votes to pass a comprehensive reform bill.

Emanuel could not have been any more direct when he told reporters, "If the votes were there, you wouldn’t need to have the meeting." The only real glimmer of hope he was willing to offer was saying that it would not be impossible to do this year. He also does not consider putting it off until next year the kiss of death, as many pro-migrant activists have implied, and as this LA Times article discusses.

Mr. Emanuel’s bluntness is in marked contract to statements made by Senate majority leader Harry Reid just two days ago, when he reiterated that the votes to pass immigration reform this year were there. 

The White House has referred to today’s gathering as a "working session" that will allow participants to get a feel for what passable legislation will need to look like. But the White House has been extra careful not to make promises on a timeline for passage or offer details on what final legislation will look like.

I can’t wait to see what the official meeting report will look like and what plans will be put in place beginning today. Waiting on pins and needles...

 Brought to my attention by a fellow pro-migrant blogger, the article "Citizenship for sale?" posted by The Arizona Daily Star has provoked over 180 dynamically polarized comments regarding immigration, healthcare, and so-called "anchor babies." How do you feel about this? Read the excerpt below, link to the full article, and comment to this blog!

The following recent CNN clip features Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Rep. Michael Honda (D-California) debating the need for legislation that would end lengthy separations of loved ones. Honda introduced the Reuniting Familes Act this month, arguing that this legislation "would give us a good head of steam" moving towards comprehensive reform. Chaffetz argues that the bill, which would make it easier for immigrants to obtain visas, is badly timed given the number of Americans currently struggling and out of work due to the recession.

The bill also offers same-sex partners equal protection and access to visas for the purpose of reunification, an addition which both Congressmen debate in this clip.

While I believe family reunification is a key aspect of reform, I would really like to see this bundled with other pieces of legislation, such as AgJobs and the DREAM Act, so that immigration reform is not addressed in a piecemeal way.

Just this past Friday, President Obama reiterated the need for comprehensive reform as the keynote speaker at the Esperanza Prayer Breakfast. But the big question remain, when and how will it happen? As a single bulk piece of legislation, which has yet to surface, or as many smaller bills which are currently on the table but which do not address all the critical pieces of comprehensive reform?

With so much of what we see and hear about U.S./Mexico relations focusing on the negative, it's nice to see success stories get a share of the media spotlight. Which is why a New York Times article which focuses on thriving border companies caught my eye.

From Tequila makers to food makers, department stores to security companies, saavy businesses are not letting the recession slow them down. In fact, they are prospering because they are serving a rapidly-growing U.S market: Mexican-Americans.

From the Times:

     Meanwhile, the slow American economy and moves to control illegal immigration with increased border patrols and raids on domestic job sites have reduced migration from Mexico. So remittances to families in Mexico from people working in the United States have declined sharply in the last year. But the Latino population in the United States has grown as a result of children born to immigrants in recent decades. That Latino population is 45 million, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

It's nice to see an emerging economy develop by smartly choosing to serve the fastest-growing U.S. market. Benefits for both countries!